Most newborns eat 1 to 2 ounces per feeding in the first week, gradually increasing to 3 to 4 ounces per feeding by one month. From there, daily intake plateaus at roughly 24 to 30 ounces and stays surprisingly steady from about four weeks through six months. The specifics shift depending on your baby’s age, whether you’re breastfeeding or using formula, and eventually whether solids are in the picture.
Your Newborn’s Stomach Is Tiny
On day one, a baby’s stomach holds about 5 to 7 milliliters, roughly one teaspoon. That’s why those first feedings are so small and so frequent. By day three, capacity grows to around 22 to 27 milliliters. By one week, the stomach can hold 1.5 to 2 ounces per feeding. At one month, your baby takes in 3 to 5 ounces at a time.
This rapid growth in stomach size is why feeding volumes change so quickly in the early days. Colostrum (the thick, concentrated milk produced in the first few days of breastfeeding) comes in small quantities on purpose. It matches what a newborn can actually hold.
Feeding Volumes by Age
Here’s what to expect for breast milk or formula at each stage:
- First 24 hours: 2 to 10 milliliters per feeding (less than half an ounce)
- 24 to 48 hours: 5 to 15 milliliters per feeding
- Day 3: About 1 ounce per feeding
- One week: 1 to 2 ounces per feeding, totaling 10 to 20 ounces daily
- Weeks 2 and 3: 2 to 3 ounces per feeding, totaling 15 to 25 ounces daily
- 1 to 6 months: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding, totaling 24 to 30 ounces daily
- 6 months and up: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding, plus solid foods (total milk intake drops to around 18 ounces or more)
One detail that surprises many parents: daily intake stays roughly the same from four weeks through six months. Babies don’t keep drinking more and more milk as they grow. Instead, they space their feedings out more, taking the same total volume over fewer, larger meals.
Breastfed vs. Formula-Fed Schedules
Breastfed babies eat more often than formula-fed babies because breast milk digests faster. In the first two months, breastfed newborns typically feed every 2 to 3 hours, which adds up to 8 to 12 feedings in 24 hours. Formula-fed babies tend to eat 6 to 10 times per day during the same period.
As breastfed babies settle into a pattern past the newborn stage, feedings generally space out to every 2 to 4 hours. Some babies cluster feed, eating as often as every hour for a stretch, then sleeping a longer 4- to 5-hour block. This is normal and doesn’t mean your supply is low. Cluster feeding often happens in the evening and tends to come in waves during growth spurts.
With formula, you can see exactly how many ounces your baby takes. With breastfeeding, you can’t measure volume directly, so you’ll rely on other signals to know your baby is getting enough (more on that below).
Reading Hunger and Fullness Cues
Rather than watching the clock, the most reliable approach is feeding your baby when they show signs of hunger and stopping when they signal they’re done. Babies are generally good at regulating their own intake.
Early hunger cues include fists moving to the mouth, head turning to look for the breast (rooting), becoming more alert and active, sucking on hands, and lip smacking or opening and closing their mouth. Crying is a late hunger cue. If you can catch the earlier signals, feeding goes more smoothly.
When your baby is full, they’ll release the breast or pull away from the bottle, turn their head away from the nipple, and relax their body with open fists. Trying to push past these cues to finish a bottle can lead to overfeeding and discomfort.
How to Know Your Baby Is Getting Enough
Diaper output is the easiest day-to-day check. Once your milk comes in (usually by day 3 to 5), you should see five to six or more wet diapers every 24 hours. Fewer than that can signal your baby isn’t getting enough.
Weight gain is the other reliable measure. After the initial weight loss that’s normal in the first few days, a breastfed baby typically gains about 6 ounces per week. Your pediatrician will track this at well-child visits, but if you’re concerned between appointments, many pediatric offices and lactation consultants offer weight checks.
An Upper Limit on Formula
There’s no official maximum, but 32 ounces of formula per day is a commonly referenced threshold. The CDC notes that babies receiving 32 ounces or more daily don’t need supplemental vitamin D, since formula is fortified. In practice, most pediatricians treat 32 ounces as a reasonable ceiling for babies under six months. If your baby consistently wants more than that, it’s worth checking whether they’re eating out of hunger or comfort, and whether paced bottle feeding might help slow their intake.
Starting Solid Foods at 6 Months
Around six months, most babies are ready for their first solid foods. But “solid foods” at this stage is a generous term. You’re starting with just 1 to 2 tablespoons of pureed or soft food at a time, once or twice a day. Most of your baby’s nutrition still comes from breast milk or formula throughout the entire first year.
Think of early solids as practice. Your baby is learning to move food around in their mouth, experience new textures, and develop the motor skills for self-feeding. The actual caloric contribution is minimal at first. Over the next several months, portions gradually increase and meals become more structured, but milk remains the nutritional backbone until the first birthday.
As solid food intake increases between 6 and 12 months, milk intake naturally decreases. Many babies drop to around 18 to 24 ounces of breast milk or formula per day by 9 to 12 months, depending on how much food they’re eating.
Water and Other Drinks
Babies under six months don’t need any water. Breast milk and formula provide all the hydration they need, and giving water to a very young infant can fill their small stomach without providing calories, or in extreme cases, dilute their blood sodium to dangerous levels.
Once your baby starts solids around six months, you can introduce small sips of plain water in a cup. The recommended amount is 4 to 8 ounces total per day between 6 and 12 months. Offer it during meals as a way to get your baby familiar with drinking water, not as a replacement for milk. Juice is not recommended during the first year.